Alec Baldwin says he was ‘stricken’ to learn about Sam Neill’s death in emotional video tribute
LOS ANGELES, CALIFORNIA: Just days after the sudden passing of Hollywood icon Sam Neill at age 78, his former co-star Alec Baldwin took to social media to share a personal video message.
The two actors famously shared the screen in the 1990 Cold War submarine classic 'The Hunt for Red October.' In an emotional video tribute, Baldwin expressed how "stricken" he was to learn of Neill's passing.
Baldwin opened up about stepping into major Hollywood roles and reflected on the incredible experience of working with such a star-studded cast.
Alec Baldwin reflects on sharing the screen with Sam Neill in 'The Hunt for Red October'
As the two had starred in the 1990 classic action thriller 'The Hunt for Red October' together, Baldwin remembered his experience on set. The actor began the tribute video by saying, "I just wanted to come on here quickly and say, how stricken I was to learn of the death of Sam Neill. When I did The Hunt for Red October, we shot in '89, it came out in 1990, a long time ago."
"And that was probably my first big movie in terms of having a, a decent-sized role, 'cause I'd done Working Girl and Beetlejuice and things like that, where I had a smaller role. And I do Hunt for Red October and, yes, John (McTiernan) is a great director and, um, one of the most exciting parts of it was, for me, was to meet Tom Clancy."
He went on to praise the cast and then named over a dozen of their co-stars. Baldwin continued, "But the cast, I mean, I've had great casts, I've worked with great people. You know, Tony and Meryl, and so many other people that I really, really admired, and do admire. But I mean, my God, Hunt for Red October."
He said, "There's a lot of other people in there who I enjoyed working with, but my God, my God. What an experience that was. What an experience it was to do that movie with those people. I mean, every time you turned around to do a scene, you were with this great actor."
The star finally named Neill again as he concluded, "That is one of the few movies I have ever done where I remember the whole movie. That's what a fan I am of that work. Not me. I'm not a fan of my work, but I am a fan of their work. Anyway, oh, my God. My God. Sam Neill. My love to his family, my love to his family."
Sam Neill’s family confirms passing of the beloved screen icon at age 78
Neill's passing at the age of 78 was confirmed by his family on social media Monday, July 13. The 'Jurassic Park' star had previously been open about his battle with angioimmunoblastic T-cell lymphoma, a form of non-Hodgkin lymphoma.
Neill, also celebrated for roles in 'The Piano' and 'Dead Calm,' shared a characteristically grounded outlook on his diagnosis. “I’m not in any way frightened of dying. That doesn’t worry me. It’s never worried me from the beginning. But I would be annoyed, because there are things I still want to do,” Neill said in 2023.
He added that he “started to look at my life and realized how immensely grateful I am for so much of it… I’m in a very uncertain world at the moment.”
